Articles by Deepa Mohan

Recently, at my monthly quiz meet, I was intrigued by this "green" container for chai, from Chai Point.  The container seemed made of cardboard, an ecologically friendly material. But when I visited the website of Chai Point You can visit it here. I found that it was made of "food grade PET" - PET is polyethylene terephthalate, which is, in their own words, "use and throw".  Only  the outside cover is cardboard! Surely, using thermos flasks that were properly cleaned would have been a better solution, especially when we now have metal flasks which retain heat for a long time and are…

I am giving below, the lengthy and tedious process of getting a replacement driver's licence, with references to the specific places and processes I myself followed.My driver's licence was stolen, along with other documents (debit cards, Senior Citizen card, etc) on 23 June, 2016, on a bus from Richmond Circle to MICO Checkpost bus stops (Route no. 366, at about 1.30pm).1, Try to locate the Police Station which has jurisdiction over the area where you lost your driving licence. This was very difficult for me as my licence was stolen on a bus. It took visits to  three police stations…

My Senior Citizen card was stolen, along with other documents, on 23rd June 2016. on a bus (route no. 366) between Richmond Circle and MICO Checkpost bus stoSince I'd got my card from the office of the Jayanagar MLA, Mr Vijaya KumarAddress:35th Cross, 18th Main Road, 4th T BlockJayanagar - 5600419448075433vijayakuma.jnr@gmail.com(if you click on the link, here, you will get a video of how to get there, too) I went there again. I was told that there is no proper process in place for replacing lost cards, so I took a form and applied once again.    I did this…

1. Immediately block the cards.Every bank has a number that can be called 24/7 to report the loss of the cards. Please keep the credit/debit cards numbers handy. This is a very important step as it will prevent loss of money by fraudulent use of the cards.   2. Go to the bank concerned and apply for a new debit/credit card.   Each bank has a separate procedure for this. Some banks (eg, ICICI) give you an immediate replacement for a charge. Others do not. In any case, the new debit/credit card will either arrive at your home by post,…

On the 23rd of June, my purse, along with several documents, was stolen on Bus Route no. 366, between Richmond Circle and MICO Checkpost bus stops at about 1.30 pm. I decided to make a list of the processes by which I replaced my documents.I live in south Bangalore, so my list will pertain to that. But hopefully, in other areas, the process will be similar. For loss of debit cards, please click here. Rating: Transparent, fairly easy. Time taken, anywhere from instant to more than a month. Costs: Rs.250 for instant replacement, free for replacement in the course of…

Once in a while, one is privileged to attend a concert that not many people seem to know about, Indian Institute of Managerment, Bangalore (IIMB) and The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC MACAY)  together organized a violin concert by Lalgudi Shri Krishnan,  accompanied on the mridangam by Shri K U Jayachandra Rau , and on the ghatam by Shri H Sivaramakrishnan. Opening with a varnam in Nalinakanti, followed by Dhenuka (Theliye ledu Rama) he went on to play Sri Rangapura Vihara in Brindavana Saranga,  Marukela Ra in Jayanthashri (Thyagagaja) followed.   The main…

The whole of last month, this member of the cactus family (Hylocereus) has been delighting people across our city. I clicked the photos below in front of my bank at J P Nagar 5th Phase. This flower/cactus is not native to India; it comes from Central and South America. But we certainly seem to have adopted it; locally, it’s called “Brahmakamalam” (though the actual Brahmakamalam is another plant altogether!) and the edible fruit is called “Dragon fruit”, thanks to its shape and colour. You can see the fruit if you click on the link here. The flowers bloom at night,…

One usually associates art, and artistic aesthetics, only with people who have the money and the leisure to spare for it (I'm not talking about those who by art as an investment here). But if one looks carefully, one finds the artistic touch all around. Here's a peanut vendor whom I photographed. He's obviously got a lot of pamphlets from somewhere, and is usng them (we are so good at recycling and re-using!) as tiny cones to put the peanuts in, and give the customers.   How beautifully he's made the paper cones and stuck them into his wares! I…

We often stop at one of the beautifully designed cane "stalls", which can be packed up and carried around, and equally quickly set up somewhere on the roadside.  Little puffed, fried balls of semolina, in a large bag; a large pot containing "paani" which is tamarind juice, flavoured with spices, and several potatoes, lentils and sometimes boiled peas,which are mashed together, with or without onions as the customer prefers.   I've been talking to a few of the young men who sell the "pani puri" from their stalls, and I realize that most of them seem to come from Bihar,…